Merchandise storing and dispensing unit

ABSTRACT

A MERCHANDISE STORING AND DISPENSING UNIT IS PROVIDED WHICH IS SUSPENDED FROM OVERHEAD AT THE CHECKOUT COUNTER OR CASH REGISTER OF A STORE. THE UNIT CONTAINS A PLURALITY OR VERTICALLY RECIPROCAL MERCHANDISE CONTAINERS THAT ARE POSITIONABLE SO THAT THEY MAY BE PULLED DOWN OUT OF THE UNIT TO REMOVE MERCHANDISE OR POSITIONED UP INTO THE UNIT FOR STORAGE. THE CONTAINERS ARE BALANCED TO REMAIN   IN WHATEVER POSITION THEY ARE PLACED. A LOCK IS PROVIDED SO THAT THE UNIT MAY NOT HAVE MERCHANDISE WITHDRAWN THEREFROM EXCEPT IN THE PRESENCE OF STORE PERSONNEL. THE UNIT UTILIZES OVERHEAD SPACE FOR STORAGE AND IS PARTICULARLY ADAPTABLE FOR STORING AND DISPENSING CARTONS OF CIGARETTES.

Feb. 2, 1971 H. J. STIEG MERCHANDISE STORING AND DISPENSING UNIT Filed April 28, 1969 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

HAROLD J. smze BY aim AT NEY H. J. STIEG MERCH ANDISE STORING AND DISPENSING UNIT Filed April 28. 1969 Feb. 2, 1971 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 III 11111111 11! ,1

Feb. 2, 1971 J, $T|EG 3,560,067

MERCHANDISE STORING AND DISPENSING UNIT Filed April 28. 1969 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Feb. 2, 1971 H. J. STIEG 3,560,067

MERCHANDISE STORING AND DISPENSING UNIT Filed April 28, 1969 e Sheets-Sheet 4 NVENTOR Feb. 2, 1971 H. J. sues v 7 MERCHANDISE STORING AND DlSPBNSING UNl'l I Filed April 28, 1969 6 Sheets-Shoot 5 FIG. 6

INVENTOR A J. STIEG BY {A ATTO NEY Feb. 2,1971 H. J. STIEG- 3,560,067

MERCHANDISE STORING AND DISPENSING UNIT Filed April 28, 1969 e Sheets-Sheet '5 M z? FIG. 8

INVENTOR HAR J. STIEG United States Patent O 3,560,067 MERCHANDISE STORING AND DISPENSING UNIT Harold J. Stieg, Pittsburgh, Pa., assiguor of fifteen percent to Lawrence Skeudrovic, West Mifflin, Pa.; twenty percent to Stone & Raynovich, Pittsburgh, Pa., a partnership; and five percent to Walter Saymansky, Washington County, Pa.

Filed Apr. 28, 1969, Ser. No. 819,761 Int. Cl. A47f 1/00, 3/02 US. Cl. 312-42 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A merchandise storing and dispensing unit is provided which is suspended from overhead at the checkout counter or cash register of a store. The unit contains a plurality of vertically reciprocal merchandise containers that are positionable so that they may be pulled down out of the unit to remove merchandise or positioned up into the unit for storage. The containers are balanced to remain in whatever position they are placed. A lock is provided so that the unit may not have merchandise withdrawn therefrom except in the presence of store personnel. The unit utilizes overhead space for storage and is particularly adaptable for storing and dispensing cartons of cigarettes.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION In modern retail merchandising, many stores are selfservice types that permit the customer to move about the store selecting items to be purchased. A customer may then bring the items to a checkout counter where the prices of the items are totalled and paid.

It has been found that when articles of value are placed in stores of this type, pilferage is likely to occur. It has further been found that cigarettes in carton form are a prime target of pilferage since the cartons can easily be emptied into other containers by a potential shoplifter.

In order to alleviate the pilferage problem, and in order to permit storage of relatively valuable items in a place where they will be readily seen and therefore purchased, the merchandise storing and dispensing unit of the present invention has been provided.

SUMMARY The present invention provides a merchandise storing and dispensing unit adapted to be suspended over the checkout counter of a supermarket or similar self-service store. Likewise, the unit of the present invention can be suspended from overhead near the cash register of a store counter. The unit of the present invention has transparent sides and a plurality of merchandise containers which can be individually pulled down out of the unit.

Merchandise, such as cartons of various brands of cigarettes, is stored within the merchandise containers. The merchandise is readily visible to both the customer and to the cash register operator. Because of the proximity to the cash register, it is unlikely that pilferage of items within the merchandise storing and dispensing unit will occur.

Further, the unit has sufficient capacity to store many cartons of cigarettes or many other relatively valuable items. The merchandise so stored is readily visible by the customers so that there is a reminder to purchase it. At the same time, when a particular cash register is not being utilized and no cashier or operator is present, the merchandise unit of the present invention may be locked to prevent items from being removed therefrom. The unit of the present invention is an attractive, useful addition to a retail store.

With the foregoing considerations in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved merchandise storing and dispensing unit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a merchandise storing and dispensing unit wherein the merchandise is visible and readily available but pilferage is prevented.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent as this description proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the unit of the present invention suspended over a supermarket checkout counter.

FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view showing the merchandise containers of the present invention in some detail.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one of the merchandise containers of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 2 and showing a top view of the merchandise containers.

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4 showing the lock arrangement.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lock arrangement.

FIG. 7 is an elevation of another form of merchandise container.

FIG. 8 is a top sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a merchandise storing and dispensing unit 10 which is formed generally of a hood 12 and a plurality of merchandise containers 14. As shown in FIG. 1, the unit 10 is suspended over the center of a supermarket checkout counter 16 by vertically depending rods 18.

As best shown in FIG. 3, each of the merchandise containers 14 is preferably made of transparent material and has a side wall 24 and a side wall 26 which are joined together by a top wall 28 and a bottom wall 30. The corners of the merchandise containers 1-4 are cut away as at 32. End walls 34 also connect the side wall 24 with side wall 26 although the greater portion of end walls 34 is slotted as at 34a to permit ready loading of merchandise into containers 14.

The side wall 26 of merchandise container 14 has a pair of guide rails 36 formed thereon. The other side wall 24, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, has vertically extending grooves 38 formed therein to receive guide rails 36 from an adjacent merchandise container 14. The merchandise container 14 has a handle 40 fixed to the bottom wall 30.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hood 12 into which the merchandise containers 14 are received has a solid, opaque top portion 42 which extends the length and width thereof. The top portion 42 rests upon a support member 43 (FIG. 2) to which rods 18 are fixed. The top portion 42 may slide up on rods 18 to permit access to the top of support member 43. Transparent sidewalls 44 are fixed to the support member 43 and depend therefrom. A skirt 46, also of opaque material, is fixed to the bottom of the transparent sidewalls 44. A loading slot 48 is formed in the transparent sidewall 44 to load merchandise into the containers 14.

As best seen in FIG. 2, each container 14 is positioned within the hood 12 and maintained in an equilibrium position by coil clock springs 50 and 52. The springs 50 and 52 are commercially available clock springs having a coil reel enclosed within a coil case 50a 0r 52a and having a cable 5% or 52b extending from the coil case. The springs 50 and 52 of the present invention are identical.

Springs 50 are mounted on support member 43 within the top portion 42 of hood 12 and the cables 50b of springs 50 are attached to the container -14. There are two springs 50 for each container 14 in the unit 10.

Springs 52 are mounted at each side of the skirt 46 of hood 12 and their cables 52b are attached to the container 14 at 52c. There are two springs 52 for each container '14.

As may be seen in FIG. 2, the springs 50 urge each individual container 14 upwardly while the springs 52 urge the container downwardly in an opposed manner with equal force.

The force of the two springs 50 is equal to the force of the two springs 52 and the force of the springs 50 is greater, when taken together, than the loaded weight of the container 14. Likewise, the total force of springs 52 is greater than the loaded weight of container 14.

As best seen in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6, a lock plate 54 is fixed to one side of container 14. The lock plate 54 cooperates with the lock shown generally at 56 to permit all of the containers to be locked into the hood 12 when the unit 10 is not in use.

The lock 56 is formed with the lock housing 58 that is fixed to the skirt 46 of hood 12. A lock bar 60 (FIG. 6) is fixed to a lock hasp 62. The lock hasp 62 has a hole 62a which aligns itself with holes 64 formed in the lock housing 58 when the lock 56 is in the locked position. When the lock 56 is in the locked position, the lock bar 60 is positioned under the lock plate 54, as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 5, so that the container 14 may not be pulled down out of the hood 12. A padlock may be inserted through the holes 62a and 64 to lock the containers 14 within the hood 12.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, a plurality of cigarette cartons 66 may be stacked within each container 14. As shown in FIG. 1, there may be twenty-four or more containers 14 positioned reciprocally within the hood 12.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show an alternate form of merchandise container 70 wherein a plurality of shelves 72 are fastened to a center post 74. With the alternate merchandise container 70, small articles which are relatively valuable, such as watches, jewelry, or other items may be positioned within the containers. To permit access to the shelves 72, no end walls are provided in the container 70.

OPERATION As may be seen, each of the merchandise containers '14 or 70 are positioned up into the hood 12 of the merchandise storing and dispensing unit 10. The lower portion of the unit 10 is suspended at a height of approximately 6 /2 to 7 feet above the floor. The individual containers 14 or 70 may easily be reached from either side of the supermarket checkout counter 16.

If a customer wishes to purchase a carton of a particular brand of cigarettes, for example, he may reach up and pull down the particular merchandise container 14 until he may slide the carton of cigarettes 66 out from the container 14. A great number of cigarette cartons may be stored in the unit 10.

As another feature, the cigarette cartons are loaded into the top of the container .14 and withdrawn from the bottom so that the cigarettes are always relatively fresh.

If it is desired to close a particular checkout station, all of the merchandise containers 14 or 7 are positioned up into the hood 12 and the lock 56 is locked so that none of the containers may be pulled down. This pre- 70 vents anyone from reaching the merchandise out of the presence of an authorized store representative.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, 1 have explained the principal, preferred construction, and mode of operation of my invention and have illustrated and described what I now consider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have it understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

What is claimed is:

1. A merchandise storing and dispensing unit for stores comprising:

(a) a hood having an open bottom;

(1)) suspension means to suspend said hood from overhead;

(0) a plurality of individual merchandise containers reciprocally positioned within said hood and each vertically movable between a storage position within said hood and a dispensing position wherein at least a portion of said container is below said hood; and

(d) balance means connected to said hood and said merchandise containers whereby each of said containers remains in an equilibrium motion-free condition within said hood and at any selected position below said hood.

2. The unit of claim 1 wherein a lock means is provided to lock said merchandise containers within said hood.

3. The unit of claim 1 wherein said hood is a boxlike rectangular housing having transparent sides.

4. The unit of claim 1 wherein each of said merchandise containers is a box-like member having its corners removed to facilitate storing of merchandise therein and the dispensing of merchandise therefrom.

5. The unit of claim 1 wherein said merchandise containers abut each other and guide means are provided to facilitate sliding of said containers relative to each other when an individual container is lowered to a dispensing position.

6. The unit of claim 1 wherein said merchandise containers are formed from transparent material.

7. The unit of claim 1 wherein said balance means includes first spring means urging each merchandise container upwardly and second spring means urging each container downwardly, simultaneously, each of said spring means having a force greater than the total weight of a fully loaded container.

8. The unit of claim 1 wherein said hood has a loading opening through which said merchandise containers may be filled.

9. The unit of claim 1 wherein said suspension means retains said hood at a fixed distance above a supermarket checkout counter whereby said merchandise containers may be lowered by the cashier and by a customer.

10. The unit of claim '1 wherein merchandise is loaded into said containers from the top and removed from bottom thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner J. C. MITCHELL, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 3l2-247 

